The family Robinson Crusoe

by Johann David Wyss

While the boys were disputing, my wife and I had hastened to relieve the dogs, by drawing out the quills and examining their wounds. Having done this, we joined the group which surrounded the porcupine; Jack taking upon him to do the honours, as if he was showing the animal at a fair. Observe, cried he, what a terrible creature it is! how long and hard his quills are! and see what strange feet he has! I am sure he must have run like a hare: but I killed him for all that! And what a singular sort of crest he has on his head! Upon my word, I like my day’s work vastly.

That, said I, is the reason why naturalists call him the crested porcupine. But now tell me, my young hero, were you not afraid, in going so near him, that he would dart some of his quills at you?

Jack.—Oh no, papa, I knew that the stories about his quills, were merely fabulous.

Father.—But you saw that many of them had stuck in the dogs, and this, surely, was no fable.

Jack.—That was because the dogs attacked the animal furiously from behind, thus putting themselves exactly in the way of his quills, so that it is not extraordinary that they should be wounded by them; but I took care to attack him in front, in which direction I knew he would not shoot them, so I had no reason to be afraid. Is it not also a fable, father, that when they escape the hunter, they throw their quills as they run, and sometimes kill him with them?

Father.—This account is, I believe, in a great measure untrue; but it is not improbable that it was such an occurrence as we just now met with, which first gave rise to the notion. An observation no less singular than true, has been made, that natural history, whose basis ought to be the strictest truth, has given birth to more fables than mythology itself. In general, mankind are fond of the marvellous, and the composed march of nature is uninteresting to them, from its simple uniformity. They accordingly dress her with all the singularities and extravagancies of their own imaginations. But tell me, Jack, what you mean to do with your prize? Are we to take it with us, or leave it here?

Jack.—Oh, take it with us, take it with us, father, I entreat, for you say its flesh is good to eat.

I could not resist his pressing importunity, and I resolved to lay the porcupine on the back of the ass, behind little Francis, first having wrapped his bloody head in a quantity of grass, and then rolled him up in a blanket to protect my boy from his quills. We now resumed our journey, but had not proceeded far, when the ass began to kick furiously with his hind legs; tore himself away from my wife, who was guiding him, and set off full gallop, braying so loud, as almost to deafen us, and scampering from side to side in so extraordinary a way, that the boys were thrown into fits of laughter; in which my wife and I should probably have joined, if we had not conceived the idea, that the situation of our little Francis was not quite safe. A sign we made to the dogs, made them set off like lightning after the deserter, whom they in a moment overtook, and stopped his way with a tremendous barking. They would no doubt have attacked him violently, if we had not ourselves run quickly to the spot, to intimidate them. We took our boy from the ass’s back, delighted to find that (thanks to the care I had taken in tying him on securely) he had kept his seat, and had scarcely even experienced any alarm. But tell me, Francis, said I jocosely, have you been clapping spurs to your horse, or what have you done to make him set off on a gallop in this manner? I no sooner pronounced these words, than suddenly I recollected the porcupine. I immediately examined if the quills had not penetrated through the covering in which I wrapped it: this I found to be the very thing: though I had folded it three times double, the quills had pierced through all, and produced the effect of the sharpest spur on the poor animal. I soon found a remedy for this inconvenience, by placing my wife’s enchanted bag, which was filled with articles of a nature to be absolutely impenetrable, between the ass’s back and the dead animal. I now restored Francis to his place, exhorting him to keep in an upright posture, and we then resumed our journey.

Fritz had run on before with his gun, hoping he should meet with some animal of prey. What he most desired, was to find one or two of those large bustards which his mother had described to him. We followed him at our leisure, taking care not to expose our health by unnecessary fatigue; till at last, without further accident or adventure, we arrived at the place of the giant trees. Such, indeed, we found them, and our astonishment exceeded all description. Good heavens! what trees! what a height! what trunks! I never heard of any so prodigious! exclaimed one and all. Nothing can be more rational than your admiration, answered I, measuring them with my eyes as I spoke. I must confess I had not myself formed an idea of the reality. To you be all the honour, my dear wife, for the discovery of this agreeable abode, in which we shall enjoy so many comforts and advantages. The great point we have to gain, is the fixing a tent large enough to receive us all, in one of these trees, by which means we shall be perfectly secure from the invasion of wild beasts. I defy even one of the bears, who are so famous for mounting trees, to climb up by a trunk so immense, and so destitute of branches.

We began now to release our animals from their burdens, having first thrown our own on the grass. We next used the precaution of tying their two fore legs together with a cord, that they might not go far away, or lose themselves. We restored the fowls to liberty; and then, seating ourselves upon the grass, we held a family council on the subject of our future establishment. I was myself somewhat uneasy on the question of our safety during the ensuing night; for I was ignorant of the nature of the extensive country I beheld around me, and of what chance there might be of our being attacked by different kinds of wild beasts. I accordingly observed to my wife, that I would make an endeavour for us all to sleep in the tree that very night. While I was deliberating with her on the subject, Fritz, who thought of nothing but his sporting, and of his desire to take his revenge of the porcupine adventure, had stolen away to a short distance, and we heard the report of a gun. This would have alarmed me, if, at the same moment, we had not recognised Fritz’s voice crying out, I touched him! I touched him! and in a moment we saw him running towards us, holding a dead animal of uncommon beauty by the paws. Father, father, look, here is a superb tiger cat, said he, proudly raising it in the air, to show it to the best advantage. Bravo! bravo! cried I; bravo, Nimrod the undaunted! Your achievement will call forth the unbounded gratitude of our cocks and hens and pigeons, for you have rendered them what no doubt they will think an important service. If you had not killed this animal, he would no doubt have destroyed in the course of one night our whole stock of poultry. I charge you look about in every direction, and try to destroy as many of the species as fall in your way, for we cannot have more dangerous intruders.